Rape Kit Testing

Stan Asks:

My question for you is would a rape kit routinely be used to test for evidence of chemicals found in a condom in addition to DNA or would further tests be required? My plot has a woman getting even with a man by having her girlfriend havesex with the guy (he’s using a condom). She then gives the material to her friend who applies the sperm and claimsshe was raped.

Amryn Says:

Rape kits are routinely tested for the presence of semen and sperm and maybe saliva depending on the story the victim gives. Chemicals found in spermicide and other condom components aren’t something an analyst would test for. Depending on how long of a time lapse between intercourse and the woman applying the sperm, it’s possible the spermicide on the condom would have already degraded the sperm to the point that it isn’t detectable, but that would only occur after a long time.

More likely, when DNA testing was performed, it would yield a mixture of 3 profiles: the man, the woman’s friend, and the woman. This is because the woman’s friend’s profile would likely be present on the condom from the intercourse she had from the man. This might raise a red flag but it would be up to the investigator to look into it further.

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Amryn Cross is a full-time forensic scientist and author of romantic suspense novels. Her first novel, Learning to Die, will be released in September. In her spare time, she enjoys college football, reading, watching movies, and researching her next novel. You can connect with Amryn via her website, Twitter andFacebook.